Zion Evrony, Israel's ambassador to the Holy See, gestures as he speaks to a class Oct. 8.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (CNS)—Israel's ambassador to the Holy See joined
Oblate Father Thomas B. Curran, president of Jesuit-run Rockhurst
University in Kansas City, in laying a wreath Oct. 9 at a plaque on
campus that pays tribute to the more than 150 Jesuits who died at the
hands of the Nazis.

"It is an honor for us to be here together to pay our respect to all the
Jesuits who perished in the Holocaust, who sacrificed their lives to
save Jews," said Ambassador Zion Evrony. "This is a very unique
opportunity to pay our respects on behalf of Israel."

The 55-by-28-inch bronze plaque, dedicated in April 2007, bears the
names of 152 Jesuits, who are grouped into three categories: those who
were killed, those who died in captivity or as a result of prison
conditions, and those who died in concentration camps.

The plaque was a gift of the late Eliot Berkley, a university regent,
and his wife, Marcia. The lists were compiled by Jesuit Father Vincent
Lapomarda, associate professor of history at the College of the Holy
Cross, a Jesuit school in Worcester, Mass.

"This plaque, the memory of Dr. Berkley and the memory of all those who
perished in the Shoah is a reminder that in life and in death, we belong
to God," Father Curran said.

"This is the first time the Israeli ambassador to the Vatican has paid a
visit to the U.S. and to come to a Jesuit university during a time when
we have a Jesuit pope further strengthens our friendship," the priest
said. "This plaque is a reflection of our friendship that has endured."

In 1954, Berkley, a graduate in international relations from Princeton
University, founded the International Relations Council, a nonpartisan
organization that provides world affairs educational programming in
Kansas City. A lifelong advocate of citizen involvement in the foreign
policy process, Berkley was director of the council until he retired in
1994. He died in 2012.

According to the university, the plaque on campus is the only one of its
kind in the world because it has a complete list of all the Jesuits who
perished as a result of Nazi persecution from 1939 to 1945.

A bronze plaque in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Krakow, Poland,
lists just the names of Polish Jesuits who were victims of the Nazis.

Evrony's visit to Rockhurst was co-hosted by the university and the
Jewish Community Relations Bureau. While on campus he delivered a
lecture Oct. 8 on "Conversations Between Jerusalem and Rome," addressing
the state of dialogue between Israel and the Holy See, and the history
and future of their relationship. The talk was part of the school's
visiting scholar lecture series.

Evrony is a career diplomat. Appointed Israel's ambassador to the Holy
See in 2012, he has worked on enhancing academic and cultural exchanges
and has helped develop a partnership with the Holy See to combat
anti-Semitism.

Prior to his current post, he spent two years in Houston as Israel's
consul general. From 2006 to 2010, he served as Israel's ambassador to
Ireland, where he oversaw a growing trade relationship between the two
countries that has risen to more than half a billion dollars a year.

He and his wife, Rita, a social worker, have three children.

In his address, he gave an historical overview of relations between the
Holy See and Israel, and told his audience that those relations today
"are good and based on mutual trust. ... The relations between the
Jewish people and the Catholic Church may be the best in 2,000 years."

Evrony described his meetings with Pope Benedict XVI and now Pope
Francis as "positive and warm. I thanked both popes for their friendship
to Israel and the Jewish people."

He said the half-hour private audience he once had with Pope Benedict
"is an event I will always cherish." He has met three times briefly with
Pope Francis. "His new style, his new universal message of modesty,
caring for the poor, love of peace and interreligious dialogue makes
(it) especially interesting to work with the Holy See," Evrony said.

"I believe that all of us here today—Jews and Christians—despite
the theological differences, recognize that we have much more that
unites us than divides us. We share the same human nature, the same
values, hopes, desires and dreams for a better life," he said. "The
world has and will always have a need to believe and hope."

He urged his listeners to visit Israel and its holy sites—"the place where it all began."
Evrony added, "All of you know that it is possible to pray to God
everywhere and anywhere, but when you arrive at the Western Wall in
Jerusalem—the Wailing Wall—and you want to call God, you will
discover that it is considered a local call."

When he first announced the ambassador's visit to Rockhurst, Father
Curran said the university was honored to have him on campus.

"We believe interfaith dialogues such as this reflect how much we share
in common and serve as the foundation for how much we can accomplish
together for the good of all humanity," he said.

Father Curran has been president of Rockhurst since June 2006. In late
2011, he entered a three-year transitional period as part of the process
to become a member of the Society of Jesus. He was ordained an Oblate
of St. Francis de Sales in 1984.